moonspinner55 Review of Buster and Billie

Buster and Billie (1974)

Intentions are sincere, but there's hardly an authentic moment...

[5/10 · 2 January 2016]

High school senior in rural Georgia community in 1948 develops genuine feelings for the town squeeze, a fellow student whose bad reputation belies a shy, insecure girl with a good heart. More teenage reminiscences set in the past from a 'sensitive' screenwriter (in this case, Ron Turbeville, working from Ron Bartron's manufactured plot and his own childhood memories). Jan-Michael Vincent is terrific as Buster, a rather benign hell-raiser who trades in nice girl Pamela Sue Martin for Joan Goodfellow, an easy target for the horny guys just looking for a good time. Vincent admirably doesn't rely on his matinée good looks to get his character across; striking a nimble balance between an uninspired, ordinary kid and a young man dealing with mature emotions, the actor nearly keeps his lady-killer smile in check (he also doesn't duck the camera self-consciously--he gives what is needed). Vincent is the only reason to see the film, the other kids seeming like leftovers from "Summer of '42" and beyond. Tale of teen tragedy has strong moments, but not an unerring eye for detail nor an ear for natural conversation. There are also the obligatory scenes: the drive-in movie date, skinny-dipping at the lake, the father-son chat, the showdown at the local pool hall. It's stilted and soapy and familiar--like an R-rated revamping of "Claudelle Inglish". Director Daniel Petrie engineers the pathos with workmanlike skill. ** from ****